Carnival Song & Society Gossip, Sexuality and Creativity in Andalusia [Paperback]

Carnival songs resemble a tabloid newspaper in their verve, spirit and range of themes. They are a measure of social change and an annual summary of events and opinion. The songs involve considerable artistry and are renowned as well for their raucous humor and vulgar concerns. (Promiscuity and sexual misalliances are common subjects.)Banned by Franco during the Spanish Civil War, the C?diz carnival began a revival in the 1960's following decades of repression. This fascinating book examines carnival song and society during the last years of the Franco dictatorship and the succeeding period of the new constitutional monarchy, when the Andalusians found their voice and Carnival enjoyed an extraordinary florescence. Songs from rural and urban carnivals in several locales throughout the province of C?diz provide a compelling picture of Andalusian life in both troubled and more flourishing times.Jerome R. Mintz Professor of Anthropology,Indiana University

[A] delightful study of the poets and songsters of Andalusia . . . Supremely logical and lucid, the supporting documentation comprehensive and convincing. Weeks after my initial reading I can summon up fond memories of my favourite characters, their wittiest punchlines and their more notorious escapades. British Journal of Ethnomusicology

This book will be of interest to someone with a keen interest in either carnival or local history. Anthropology in Action

In this delightful book, the late anthropologist, Jerome Mintz, brings his many years of historical and ethnographic research on Andalusiansociety and culture to bear on the fascinating traditiion of carnival..., banned shortly after the civil war by Franco and believed to be dying out. Mintz tells a different and more complex story of repression, revival and commercialization. South European Society and Politics